Automatic straw dispenser



March 26, 1940. M. H. KucHARsKY AUTOMATIC sTRAw DISPENSER Filed Jan. l0, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. l

9 INVEN TOP. mnxucufmsmf La 48 -FIGC ATTORNEY 26, 1940- M. H, KucHARsKY AUTOMATIC STRAW DISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR M.H.KUCHARSKY ATTORNEY Filed Jan. l0, 1938 V a. o .1 8 :m m s G l A I DA- y., 3 E .m w 1%! J. -l\.... 1V .9 w .GLM ,fm m.. MAK?. i 4 8 6 wv wm A Liz@ c@ 5l u "has, .f C )1 m. 7 X

March 26, 1940. M. H. KucHARsKY AUTOMATIC sTRAw DISPENSER 4 shets-sheet 5 Filed Jan. l0, 1938 FIGB 'aa-FIGLI() INVENTOR MHKUISHARS Bioazg,

NaJch 26, 1940. M l H, KUCHARSKY v 2,195,177

AUTOMATIC STRAW DISPENSER Filed Jan. l0, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 J v E@ "f- 58 I0 O BE e MY- '/49 l [Ob /85 INVENTOR 5 i MHKUCHARSKY FIG.' )n-QQw/u/ ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 26,A f Y vApplication 'January r10,

F111 claims. (creia- 331 Y t This invention-*relates to. amachine in ,which provision is made for removing a capfrom a bot'- y removed `by the vcapfremoving device 5. yThe f straw. yis delivered -tolchute 6 by` a straw .delivery member 8 which is supplied with'straws throughk 45 tle and -fo'r ,automatically inserting one or more drinking straws in the bottle as the cap4 is `re 51T moved therefrom. fMore'particularly, the invention comprises a machineinwhich the straw inserting mechanism functions automaticallyinrersponsefto movement fof Aa capr removing device 'l whichis actuated by a bottle during removal of the bottle can 'Y 'nIt isk an object of 'thisinvention to provide a machinev of thechaiacter described in which the! componentparts vare designed and assembled toA ensure satisfactory. and reliable operation.l 1 51 It is also an object of this :invention to provide a-machine' of the character .describedin which the component parts are designed to facilitate economical manufacture and assembly thereof. i l Other objects, advantagesl and characteristic 2c features of the invention willbe apparent from the following detailed description of the preferredv embodimentA shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which- 7 'Figure `1 is a View, in front elevation, of a maf ",i .chine constructed in' accordance with what is now considered to be al preferred embodiment of the invention. y f

Fig. 2 isa view, infelevation, of the right hand side of the machinefappearing in vFig-'1. In`

302 this View certainparts, which ,would 'ordinarily appear, have been omitted for thesake ofclear-v Figure 3`is a view similar to Fig. 1 ,but showing portions of the casing structure broken away `i so that underlying parts may be shown in.v full lines. y

Figure 4 is a view similarto Fig. 3 but show- `ing certain operating partsin av different position, f

' Figure '5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig.-

Figure 6 is a sectional view 'taken substantially along the line 6 6 of Fig, 5,. y l

Figure v"I is a View similar to Fig. 2 but withthe chute` and'portions of the casing removed to dis-'1i close parts that are hidden from viewin Fig. 2." lFigures 8 and 9 areviews which arefsimilar `to, Fig. 2 and serve,-in conjunction withfthelatter figure, to illustrate the action of the cap remov' 50..' ingldevice during the uncapping operation. t Figure lOis a perspective View of the straw .delivery,memben Referringv more particularly to the drawings, 5 1

designates a bottle cap removingy device mount-` ed beneath the lowerv end cfa vertical guide chute 6'. The latter.r serves toV guide a drinkingstraw` A-intothe neck of a-bottl'efly as the bottle cap is the dispensingopening 9 (Figure 5) of the straw dispensing container l0. The deliverymember 8f ispivoted'at Il to swing from "a horizontal strawy y receiving position X (Figure l) `to an inclined straw delivering positionX or vice versa.` Swinging movement of the member 8 is effected through the agency of" a toggle generallyV indicated at I2. Y. During the cap removingoperation ariarm l3` Yofthe'v cap removing device E5 operates thev toggle" i2 against the resistance of a spring `lato swing 15. f

the member 8 to the straw deliveringposition f X. As the cap `is removed from the bottle,arm`

j ears I9 of suitable bracket plates 253 fastened to the lbase 2l. Plate i6 is also provided .with stop flugs 22'and cap retaining fingers 23. The lugs 22' work inthe :slots `2li (Figures 2, '78 and y9). of the cooperating stops` 25; formed integral with the bracket plates 20.

" .'In removing--the'cap from the bottle 'l vthe i 'Y latter is first arranged inthehorizontal position shown in Figure 2l with thetopoic the. cap 'la4 ilatlyengagedfwiththe plate portion'l of the 35. cap removingfdevice 5, the edge of the skirt por-'i tion, of rthe cap being engaged beneatnthe capI remo-ving ho'okll and the cap'retainingfngers 23.," The" bottle 1 is then tilted downwardlyto the position shown in Figure '8. During this movement-of the bottle, cap 'laacts against hook l? vtotilt plate lffforwardly about 'the axes'of "the pivots I8 until further forward movementof the plate is arrestednby engagement of thek .lugs f with Vthe outer closed ends of the slots 2li., 4'5" With-thefplate l5 thus held againstcontinued forward tilting, further downward pressure on the bottle 'l results in the cap 'la beingA pulled off the neck of lthe bottle by the capremovingghook I'L vAs soon as. this.. occurs, plate IB is swung ,back to its kv.original position by the pressure ofl .the spring k2l (Figures 1, 3 and 4) acting against the' I arm 13. l yThe cap lcabeing confined beneath the cap' 'retaining' fingers 23, is carried baci; 4with the plate I5 but is a suciently loose t `between these lingers and the front surface of `the plate to drop to the floor or into a suitable receptacle as the plate I6 strikes the base 2`I. assumed by the bottle 'I as the cap removing device 5 returns to its original position upon re-l moval of thecap is approximately as'indicated by dotted lines in Figure 9,"where,it will be noted that the mouth yof `the bottle is suitably located to receive a straw from the delivery endof the chute 6.

The toggle I2 includes a link 29 having its lower end fastened bya pivot to asuitable bracket structure 3| carried by the b-racket plate 29. The upper end of link 29 is pivoted at 32 .to the lower endof a link 33, the upper end of which is fastened to the straw deliverymember 8 by a pivot 34 suitably located between the'pivot II and the adjacent right hand" endof member 8. The spring I 4 bears'against the pivotally connected ends of the links 29 and 33 and normally tends to urge these links to the-position shownV The arm I3of the cap removing..

in .Figure 3. device 5`is provided with an angular extension I3aand is slightly twisted so that'when plate I6 of the cap` removing device is tilted to the position shown in Figures 7 and 8 the angular extension I3a is moved against the upper edge of w toggle link 29 and kserves to swing the latterr downwardly about thepivot 3ll`. This movement of link'29 acts through the companion 4link 33 tov swingi the straw vdelivery member 8 .from the straw receiving position X to the straw deliver- `ing position Xt. As the member 8 reaches this position the straw A carried thereon slides downf wardly so that the lower end of the straw (see Figures 1 and 4) is projected across the delivery chute 6 to underlie a bent shoulderforming poranced in the inclined position X.

tion 36 of the chute wall 31. As plate I6 ofl the cap removing device 5 is returned to its original position by spring 21 the straw delivering member 8is returned to its straw receiving position X byv its own weight, aided by the spring `I4 `and toggle I2 which serves to give member 8`its initial downward impulse if it happens to be bal- During this return movement of member 8 the righthand end 8a exertsupward pressure on the straw A which is in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1.

Since the lower end of the strawfisprevented from moving upwardly byxthe shoulder 36V the right hand end 8a of member 8 actsto push the `straw to an upright position within the chute6 t as'member 8 is reset to the positionX.` This upright positioning of straw A occurs about the time that the plate I6 of the cap removing .device t isv reset to its initial position, as shown in Figure 9, so that the straw drops from chute 6 into the neck of the bottle 1. It will v also be noted' that, las the straw A is disposed in itsuprigh't position within the chute 6, the upper end ofthey straw is engaged beneath a retaining 'plate 38 (Figures l, 3 and 4) which preventsthe straw from tilting forwardly out of the chute. y

A suitable defleotor 40 is provided at the bottom ofchute 6 to guide the lower end of straw A sothat it will clear the hook I'I as the straw drops toward the bottle 1.

AAs clearly shown in Figure l0, the straw det liverymember 8 preferably comprises a fabri-` cated sheet metal bar provided at one side with a laterally projecting straw supporting shelf 8b located substantially midway between the upper and lower edges of the bar. Member 8 normally lies in a horizontal position within a trough,l `Ilz formed integral with the rear wall 43 of casing The 'position j blocked by a follower 45 which is pivotally connected to 'member 8 to assume the position tothe position X75. As shownto advantage in Figs. 6 and l0, the followercomprises'a bar 46 having itsforwardjend pivoted to. an intermediate l portion of the member as indicated at 4I and its rear end bent to form a U 48 which embraces the left'hand end of the memberwhen the latter is in thestraw receiving position X. The weight of follower 45 helps to return member 8 from the position X to the position X.v

`An angle plate 49 is preferably fastened to member 8 above the left hand portion of the shelf 8b to preventthe upper endof the straw resting on said shelf beingthrown off the shelf vby the momentum of the member 8'ias it is snapped to its delivery positionX.' As theA member 8A reaches .this position the straw A slides down-'- wardly on the shelf 8b so:that itslower end is positioned beneath thelshoulder 36 ofthe chute 6. During this sliding movement of the straw the upper end passes below the angle 49 so that the `latter does not interfere with the upright 'positioning of the straw in the chute during the subsequent return movement oi` themember 8.

'Another purpose of the angley plate 46 isl to prevent delivery of more than one straw onto the shelf 8b. In the absence of this plate it is possible that, due to crowding of the straws, the

straw initially delivered to member Ilmay be forced upwardly by another straw ywhich would take its place on shelf 8b.` Plate 49 prevents this by preventing upward displacement of the straw initially deposited on shelf 8b.` If desired, plate 49 may' formed as an integral tongue extension punchedfrom the member 8.

"In order to prevent crowding and possible jamming of the `straws-at tliedi'spensing `opening 9 of container I 6, I have found it advisable to provide apusher plate 5I which is operated to push some of the straws away fromy the opening 9 during returning'of thestrawdelivery member 8 lfrom its v'straw deliveryposition X. Plate 5| is pivotallyususpended from the hinged cover Illa of the container III as indicated at 52. It is arranged ,tov have a limited swinging movement between theouter rear wall 43 of the container and an opposing inner rear wall 53;V The lower portion ofv plate 5I projects below the lower edge of wall 53 and serves as an'abutment for the straws contained in the layer immediately adjacent thebottom layer of straws resting directly on the "sloping bottom wallflb of the container I6. An arm 54 projecting from one end of ,l plate 5I is engaged in a: fork 55 provided at the shown in Figure when said member 8 is swung upperend of an intermediately pivoted lever' 56. Lever 56 is'pivoted to a suitable bracket 5l as indicated at 58 (Fig. l) and is provided, at its as viewed in Fig. 7 and acts against the arm 54 to` swing the plate 5I (Fig.` 5) toward the wall 53. During this 'movement the lower portion of.

yso

plate 5I tends to push the engaging-straws away from the opening 9 in such a way that crowd-l ing or jamming of the straws at this point is effectively prevented.

wan 53 is inclined as shown in Fig. 5 sothat the space between this wall andwall43 is suil cientyto provide for adequate swinging movement of the pusher plate 5l. Adjacent opposite ends of plate 5l the lower edge of wall 53 is provided with integral extensions 53a which are bent into contact with wall43 to prevent straws entering the-space between said walls.

While I have shown and described what is now yconsidered to be the preferred embodiment of this invention it will be understood that various desirable modications may be resorted to within the scopeand spirit of the appended claims. For example, I have shown a machine in which the straw delivering member 8 lserves to ,deliver a single straw to the bottle, but it will be understood that this member' and related parts of the ma'- chine maybe modified to effect the insertion of` several straws in the bottle as the cap is re` moved therefrom.

Having thus described my invention lwhat I claim is:

1; Amachine of the character described comprising a bottlecap removing device mounted so that it is movable to a predetermined position by a bottle lduring the operation of removingv the cap from said bottle, a straw dispensing container, means for inserting one or `more straws from said container in the bottle at the termination of the cap removing operation and'means for automatically actuating said last mentioned means in response to the aforesaid movement of thel cap removing device. f l 2. A machine of the character described comprising a device for removing a cap from a bottle, said devicebeing movable to a predeterminedv position by the bottle during the cap removing operation, a chute arranged above said ldevice to guide a drinking straw into the bottle after the cap is removed therefrom, a straw dispensing container, va movable member normally arranged to receive a straw from said container, means for operating said member so that the straw carried thereby is delivered to said chute, and means for causing said last mentioned means to operate in response to movement of the cap removing device during the cap vremoving operation. 3. A machine lof the character described comprising a movable cap removing device, a drinking straw delivery chute arranged' above Vsaid device, a container for drinking straws, means for transferring a straw from said container to an upright position within said chute, and means n for operating said last mentioned meansin revsponse to movement of the cap removing device during operation of removing a cap from a bottle, the arrangement being such that the straw passes from the chute into the bottle at the termination of the cap removing operation.

4. A machine of the character described comprising a cap removing device' including a plate mounted to swing about a horizontal axis located a substantial distance below the upper end of the plate, a cap removing hook carried by the said upper end of the plate, means for limiting forward tilting ofthe plate about said axis, a vertical drinking straw delivery chute mounted directly abover said plate, means for delivering a drinking straw to said chute and-means for actuating said last mentioned means in response to pivotal movement of said plate aboutsaid axis.

5( A machine of the characterdescribed com-y prising a movable cap removing device, a drink'-` ing strawV guide chute located above said device that the straw ywill be deposited 'in the chute to enter the bottle at the termination .ofthe cap removing operation. p l i 6.A machineof the character' described comprising a movableV cap removing device, a drinking straw guide chute located above'said device,

means for supplying straws to. said chute comprising a `straw Adelivery member mounted to swing about ahorizontal axis, a toggle connected between saidmember and afixed point, a spring acting against said toggle to normally position said member iny a straw receivingposition and an arm on the c ap removing devicev adapted to act against said toggle to swing said member toA a straw deliveringy position in'responseto movement of the capremoving device during the operation of removing ythe capr from the bottle,

said, strawdelivering device serving to deliver a straw carried thereby into'saidchute so that the straw will pass from the chute into the bottle at the termination of the cap removing operation. 7. A machine as set forth inclaiin 2 `including f means preventing the straw leaving the chute beforeI the lower endof the strawl lenters the bottle.v v l f i v l 8. A machine of the character described comvvprising a movable cap` removing, device, a drinking straw guide chute located above said device, a drinking straw container provided with a dispensing opening) a movable member normally arrangedto receive a "straw through said dispensing opening, means for preventing the deposit of more than one layer ofstraws on said member, means for operating saidlmember so that the straw or straws carried therebyV is deposited in said chute to occupy an uprightl position therein and means for causing said/last mentioned means to operate in response to movement oi the cap removing',` device duringl the cap removing 9. A machine as set forth in claim including means for. preventingjamming of straws at the dispensing openingV of lthecontainer.

10. A machine asset forth in claim 4i including n cap engaging means konsaid plate adaptedto carry the cap to a position clear of the mouth of the bottle, as the vplate isreturnedto its initial positionafter being tilted forwardly during the cap removingoperation. l

11. A machine of the character rdescribed comprising a drinking straw container, means for removing a .cap from a bottle, a straw guide located adjacent said cap removing means for guiding astrawinto the bottle at the termination of the' cap removing operation and means operated .by 'and inY timed relation to the opera.- tion ofthe cap removing meansy for 'delivering a straw from said lcontainer'to said straw guide.

.` f Mannion H. KUczHARsKv,v 

